Apparatus for refining paper stock



8, 1964 D. w. DANFORTH 3,144,994

APPARATUS FOR REFINING PAPER STOCK Filed Aug. 29. 1960 INVENTOR. A DONALD WDANFORTH BY (1 PM "PM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,144,994 A PTPARATUS FOR REFINING PAPER STOUK Donald W. llantorth, Andover, Mass, assignor to John W. llolton dz Sons, Inc., Lawrence, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 29, 196i), der. No. 52,412 9 tCiairns. (til. 241--260) This invention relates to paper stock refiners of the truncated conical type such as Jordan engines and Claflin engines.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide dams bridging the channels between alternate blades of a Jordan plug and to form a right angle in the blades of a Jordan shell for the purpose of guiding the stock back and forth between the plug and the shell as it advances through the refiner. Such a structure is disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,560,743 to Van Buskirk of November 10, 1925. More recently, as disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,921,749 to Brink et al. of January 19, 1960, longitudinally staggered dams have been proposed on both the plug and the shell of a Claflin type refiner. In both of the above patents the structure has resulted in restricting the flow of the stock in the refiner as well as providing a sinuous path for the stock thereby assisting the complete treatment of the material in its passage through the machine.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 52,413, filed August 29, 1960, and entitled Method of Processing Paper Stock, I have disclosed a treatment method in Which the stock is advanced through a rotary, truncated, conical refiner and deflected between the channels of the plug and shell in a sinuous longitudinally extending path, the stock travelling at high velocity. In the said method, there is no longitudinal flow restriction, no opposition to the longitudinal advance of the stock and no trapping of the stock whereby the step of restricting flow is entirely eliminated and avoided. Flow is directed positively from the shell channels to the plug channels by means of deflectors.

This application is drawn to improved apparatus for accomplishing the method of my said co-pending application, the said apparatus, when the channels between the blades are relatively wide, being especially useful for treating material with extreme dewatering, plugging and clinging characteristics and, when the channels between the blades are relatively narrow, being extremely useful with more conventional paper stock material.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a truncated conical refiner, of the Jordan or Claflin type with means for guiding the stock in a sinuous. longitudinal path back and forth between the plug channels and the shell channels even when the Working faces of the opposite blades are in engagement with each other without restricting the flow of the stock in the refiner and without causing settlement of the fibres in pockets or behind barriers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of ring-like rows of deflectors alternately spaced along the plug and shell of a truncated conical refiner, whereby regardless of the angular pattern of the knives and channels and regardless of axial movement of the plug to compensate for wear, no flow restriction or de watering is caused by the proximity of rows on one member to the rows on the opposite member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a truncated conical refiner with a plurality of oppositely disposed, longitudinally spaced apart ring-like rows of indi vidual deflectors of relatively soft material whereby stock is guided in a sinuous path through the refiner with no possibility of straight channeling and no possibility of wearing grooves in the plug or shell.

3,1443% Patented Aug. 18, 1964 Still another object of the invention is to provide ringlilce rows of deflectors in a Claflin engine for sinuously diverting stock between the plug and shell, the rows being formed by individual, tapered deflectors of epoxy resin or the like, and the rows being so spaced that no individual deflector is ever opposite another deflector to create a temporary barrier to the longitudinal advance of the stock.

A still further object of the invention is to provide tackle for a truncated conical refiner which deflects the stock into a sinuous, longitudinally extending path while still permitting stock to be advanced through the refiner at relatively high velocity and While the working faces of the opposite blades are substantially in engagement with each other.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of plug and shell members, of a rotary, truncated conical refiner, embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a developed exterior plan view of a segmental, plug lining such as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a developed, interior plan view of a segmental, shell lining such as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a segmental plug lining in accordance with the invention for use in processing conventional paper stock.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view similar to FIG. 1, showing the sinuous path of the stock, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of a segmental shell lining corresponding to the plug lining of FIG. 4.

In the paper trade, Jordan and Claflin refiners are Well known to be of the rotary, truncated conical type and to include a plug member, or rotor, 20 and a shell member, or stator, 21. The members 20 and 21, shown in FIG. 1, are relatively short and steeply inclined for use in a Claflin engine but the principle of this invention can be applied to the more elongated and less inclined Jordan engines if desired. The plug member 20 and the shell member 21 are each lined with a plurality of spaced blades, bars or knives which may be cast as a unit, assembled in identical segments, formed into truncated conical linings or otherwise made in a manner well known.

The small end 22 of the refiner 23, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, is usually the inlet end while the large end 24 is usually the outlet end and the refiner is usually pressurized as part of a closed paper stock system. The plug member 20 is axially slidable by suitable controls, of any well known type, not shown, to adjust and maintain the clearance between the plug and shell knives and the plug is conventionally rotated at speeds in a range of about 350 revolutions per minute to about 450 revolutions per minute to pump the paper stock longitudinally from the inlet to the outlet while subjecting the stock to the treatment effect of the blades.

As shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 6, for the purpose of illustration, the plug member 20 and the shell member 21 are lined with a plurality of liner segments, this being customary in Claflin refiners. In FIG. 3 a plug liner segment 31 is shown, and in FIG. 2 a corresponding shell liner segment 25 is shown. In shell segment 25 some of the blades, bars or knives such as 26, 27 and 28 extend the full length of the shell member, each being in a plane common to the longitudinal central axis of the plug and shell members. The remaining blades such as 29 and 30 are of progressively less length and parallel to one of the full length bars such as 27 to define channels such as 33 and 34 therebetween of uniform cross sectional area. The smaller blades 29 and 30 are, therefore, not parallel to the adjacent full length blade such as 2d and are angu- "9 J3 larly offset therefrom and from the axis of the plug and shell members.

The segmental shaped pattern of blades and channels shown in the drawing has been found especially useful in practicing the method of my above specified copending patent application wherein the paper stock is advanced through the refiner at low consistency and high velocity to prevent dewatering and plugging. The terminal ends and 36 of the blades 29 and 34 are spaced from the adjacent blade 26, as at 37 and 33, a progressively shorter distance from inlet end 22 to the outlet end 24, but the channel at 38 is at least equal in width to one half the length of the longest fibres in the stock. The ends 35 and 36 are preferably tapered, or beveled, to present a sloping face to advancing stock and thereby prevent stapling, settlement or trapping of the fibres in the stock.

The plug segment 31 corresponds to the shell segment 25 and includes the blades 44 and which define the channels 42 and 43, the segmental patterns being similar with the minimum predetermined channel width between adjacent blades as at 32 being equal to the minimum width at 38 on the shell segments.

Outward deflector means 41 is provided on the plug member 26, filling a portion of the channels such as 42, 43 between the blades such as 44 and 45, for guiding stock outwardly into the channels such as 33 and 34 between the blades such as 27, 2% and 30 of the shell member 21. Outward deflector means 41 comprises a plurality of longitudinally spaced, laterally extending rows 4-6, and 47 of individual, tapered deflectors such as 50 and 51 each positioned within, and extending completely across each channel. Each row 4s describes a continuous circle, or ring, around the plug member 20 and each deflector 56) is preferably of a material less resistant to wear than the metal of the blades whereby it will not groove the blades of the other member. Each deflector is preferably of epoxy resin and includes a broad base 54, a narrow fiat terminal face 55, in the plane of the working faces of the plug blades and a pair of end walls 56 and 57 each inclined at an angle of about 60 from the truncated conical face of the plug member 20.

Inward deflector means at is provided on the shell member 21, filling a portion of the channels such as 33 and 34 between the blades 27, 29 and 30, as well as the channels 62 between the blades 29 and as for guiding stock inwardly into the channels 42 and 43 of the plug member 20. Inward deflector means 61 also comprises a plurality of laterally extending, continuous, circular rows such as 63, 64 and as of individual deflectors 67 identical to deflectors 50 and 51 except for the special shape of the deflectors 63 in the terminal row 63. The deflectors 6% are each sloped as shown in FIG. 1, on the leading edge so as to always make contact with the plug knives throughout the life of the tackle as the blades wear and as the plug is advanced with respect to the shell.

In processing paper stock material such as synthetic fibres, leather, cotton comber stock and the like, with extreme dewatering and plugging characteristics, the minimum width of channel between the blades of the plug member 24 and the shell members 21, as at 32 and 38, is at least equal to one half the length of the longest fibres in the stock, all of the other channels being considerably wider. The depth of the channels such as 33 and 42 is also considerably greater than the said predetermined minimum width. The minimum distance between the terminal faces of the deflectors 5! in the rows 46 and 47 on the plug member and the terminal faces 69 of the deflectors 67 and inclined face 71 of the deflectors 68 is also considerably greater than the predetermined minimum channel width at 32 and 34'. The annular flow passages indicated at 72 and '73 and defined by the adjacent rows 46 and 63 and 47 and 64 are thus originally of sufficient cross sectional area to prevent any bridging or packing of the fibres and the passages increase in area as the plug member 2ft is advanced into the shell member 21 in its normal range to take up wear. The blades of the plug and shell members will be so worn down as to require new linings, or tackle, before a row such as 46 approaches the row 64 sufliciently to create a passage therebetween of less than the above specified minimum area.

In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 the apparatus of the invention is illustrated as applied to the refining of conventional stock having no unusual plugging characteristics. The segmental pattern St of blades 81 and channels 82 constitutes one of a plurality of identical, shell lining segments 83, while the segmental pattern 34 of blades 85 and channels 36 constitutes one of a plurality of identical plug lining segments 87. The blades $1 and 85 are closely spaced, for example, they may be one quarter inch in width and spaced apart one quarter inch to provide a relatively large number of edges for treating the stock.

It should be noted that the shell segment 83 and the plug segment 87 include inward deflector means 88 and outward deflector means 89 substantially identical with the means 41 and 61 on plug member 20 and shell member 21. Thus the layout and spacing of the rows 91, 92 and 93 on segment 83 and the layout and spacing of the rows 94 and 95 on the segment 87 remains constant for all refiner linings constructed in accordance with the invention and it is the thickness and spacing of the blades which is varied to accomplish the desired processing results. As shown, however, an additional row 96 on the plug and an additional row 97 on the shell may be provided for the larger size Claflins and eliminated on the smaller size Claflins.

The relatively widely spaced blades of FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, when provided with deflector means 41 and 61, have been found to fibrillate synthetic fibres, or similar material, without plugging and dewatering. When the longest synthetic fibres in the stock are about one inch, the channels at 32 and 38 may be about one half inch in width because the fibres are shortened by the blades before reaching this Zone of the refiner. The channels at 37, 34 and 42 are of course of greater width than one half inch and preferably about one inch or more in width to prevent any possibility of fibre bridging, packing or wadding. Because of the deflector means 41 and 61, straight channeling is prevented without increasing dwell or otherwise restricting flow.

The relatively closed spaced blades of FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 when provided with deflector means 88 and 89 have been found to be unusually effective in refining paper stock of conventional types in the usual pressurized, closed system. Materials having no extreme dewatering charac teristics such as knot pulp, waste, dry kraft, matrix stock and many others have been rapidly and efficiently treated with such closely spaced blades.

As best shown in FIGURE 5 the continuous, circular rows of deflectors on the plug are always longitudinally spaced from the continuous, circular rows of deflectors on the shell to avoid increasing dwell of the stock. If the deflectors were of material equal in hardness to the metal of the blades, each continuous row of deflectors would tend to groove the blades on the opposite member thus reducing the efficiency of the device.

In the Brink Patent No. 2,921,749, above mentioned, the dams are longitudinally staggered which reduces the tendency to groove the blades. In the apparatus of this invention the deflectors can be in continuous row form because they are of a material less hard than the blades and, therefore, have no tendency to groove.

I claim:

1. In a truncated, conical refiner for paper stock, the combination of axially movable plug and stationary shell members having truncated conical working faces each lined with a plurality of segmental shaped patterns of spaced straight parallel blades, of predetermined uniform height, angularly offset to the plug axis, the blades of said steeped members defining spaced channels therebetween having a predetermined uniform width and depth to establish a minimum cross sectional area for passage of said stock; outward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the plug blades and filling a portion of one of said plug channels, and inward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the shell blades and filling a portion of one of said shell channels, said rows of deflectors being initially longitudinally spaced from each other at predetermined minimum distances to permit a normal range of axial adjustment of said plug member to compensate for wear with no individual shell deflector ever being opposite an individual plug deflector, for thereby restricting the flow of said stock through said refiner, without reducing said cross sectional area of stock passage below said minimum and while continuing to guide said stock in a sinuous path back and forth across the working faces of said blades.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein the outward deflector means is free of a row of deflectors at the large end of said plug member but the inward deflector means includes a terminal row of deflectors at the large end of said shell member, said terminal row engaging the blades on said plug member during the axial adjustment thereof for wear.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein the predetermined minimum width and depth of said channels are each at least equal to about one half the length of the longest fibres in said stoclr and the predetermined longitudinal spacing between each adjacent row of the plug and shell member is initially greater than, and at all times at least equal to, about one half the length of the longest fibre in said stock.

4. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein each said deflector includes a broad base, flat inclined forward and rearward end walls and a narrow, flat terminal face, said face being in the plane of the working surfaces of said blades.

5. In a stock engine of the type having an axially movable, frustro-conical plug revoluble within a frustro conical shell, the combination of a plurality of longitudinally extending blades angularly spaced around said plug and around said shell to define a plurality of longitudinally extending, oppositely disposed channels therebetween; a plurality of ring-like rows of individual, tapered deflectors spaced longitudinally along said plug, each terminating in the plane of the working surfaces on said plug to guide stock outwardly into the channels in said shell; and a plurality of ring-like rows of individual, tapered deflectors spaced longitudinally along said shell, each terminating in the plane of the working surfaces on said shell to guide stock inwardly into the channels of said plug; said rows being longitudinally spaced apart from adjacent rows to permit axial movement of said plug without restricting flow through said refiner and said deflectors being of a material less hard than the material of said blades to avoid grooving the same.

6. A comibnation as specified in claim 5 wherein said bades are of metal and said deflectors are of epoxy resin.

7. In a Claflin engine, the combination of a plurality of continuous, circular, laterally extending rows of individual tapered deflectors longitudinally spaced along the plug and a plurality of continuous circular laterally extending rows of individual tapered deflectors longitudinally spaced along the shell, each said deflector occupying a portion of the channel between a pair of adjacent plug, or shell, blades and being equal in height to said blades and each said row being initially longitudinally spaced from adjacent rows a distance sufficient to permit a normal range of axial adjustment of the plug Within the shell without slowing the velocity of the stock by causing a row on the plug to come so close to a row on the shell as to create a dwell and with no individual shell deflector ever opposite an individual plug deflector within said range of axial adjustment.

8. in a truncated, conical refiner for paper stock, the combination of axially movable plug and stationary shell members each lined with a plurality of segmental shaped patterns of spaced straight parallel blades, of predetermined uniform height, angularly offset to the plug axis, the blades of said members defining spaced channels therebetween having a predetermined uniform width and depth to establish a minimum cross sectional area for passage of said stock; outward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the plug blades and filling a portion of one of said plug channels, and inward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the shell blades and filling a portion of one of said shell channels, each said deflector being of a material with lower wear characteristics than the material of said blades for avoiding the formation of circular grooves in said blades and said rows of deflectors being initially longitudinally spaced from each other at predetermined distances to permit a normal range of axial adjustment of said plug member to compensate for wear Without restricting the flow of said stock through said refiner, without reducing said cross sectional area of stock passage below said minimum and while continuing to guide said stock in a sinuous path back and forth across the working faces of said blades.

9. In a truncated, conical refiner for paper stock, the combination of axially movable plug and stationary shell members each lined with a plurality of segmental shaped patterns of spaced straight parallel blades, of predetermined uniform height, angularly offset to the plug axis, the blades of said members defining spaced channels therebetween having a predetermined uniform width and depth to establish a minimum cross sectional area for passage of said stock; outward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the plug blades and filling a portion of one of said plug channels, and inward deflector means comprising a plurality of continuous circular ring-like rows of individual deflectors, each equal in height to the height of the shell blades and filling a portion of one of said shell channels, said blades being of metal and said deflectors being of epoxy resin whereby each deflector wears down at the same rate as the blades of its member without grooving the blades of the other member and said rows of deflectors being initially longitudinally spaced from each other at predetermined distances to permit a normal range of axial adjustment of said plug member to compensate for wear without restricting the flow of said stock through said refiner, without reducing said cross sectional area of stock passage below said minimum and while continuing to guide said stock in a sinuous path back and forth across the working faces of said blades.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,633,778 Stuck e Apr. 7, 1953 2,921,749 Brink et al. Ian. 19, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,946 Canada Sept. 29, 1959 

1. IN A TRUNCATED, CONICAL REFINER FOR PAPER STOCK, THE COMBINATION OF AXIALLY MOVABLE PLUG AND STATIONARY SHELL MEMBERS HAVING TRUNCATED CONICAL WORKING FACES EACH LINED WITH A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTAL SHAPED PATTERNS OF SPACED STRAIGHT PARALLEL BLADES, OF PREDETERMINED UNIFORM HEIGHT, ANGULARLY OFFSET TO THE PLUG AXIS, THE BLADES OF SAID MEMBERS DEFINING SPACED CHANNELS THEREBETWEEN HAVING A PREDETERMINED UNIFORM WIDTH AND DEPTH TO ESTABLISH A MINIMUM CROSS SECTIONAL AREA FOR PASSAGE OF SAID STOCK; OUTWARD DEFLECTOR MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR RING-LIKE ROWS OF INDIVIDUAL DEFLECTORS, EACH EQUAL IN HEIGHT TO THE HEIGHT OF THE PLUG BLADES AND FILLING A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID PLUG CHANNELS, AND INWARD DEFLECTOR MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR RING-LIKE ROWS OF INDIVIDUAL DEFLECTORS, EACH EQUAL IN HEIGHT TO THE HEIGHT OF THE SHELL BLADES AND FILLING A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID SHELL CHANNELS, SAID ROWS OF DEFLECTORS BEING INITIALLY LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AT PREDETERMINED MINIMUM DISTANCES TO PERMIT A NORMAL RANGE OF AXIAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID PLUG MEMBER TO COMPENSATE FOR WEAR WITH NO INDIVIDUAL SHELL DEFLECTOR EVER BEING OPPOSITE AN INDIVIDUAL PLUG DEFLECTOR, FOR THEREBY RESTRICTING THE FLOW OF SAID STOCK THROUGH SAID REFINER, WITHOUT REDUCING SAID CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF STOCK PASSAGE BELOW SAID MINIMUM AND WHILE CONTINUING TO GUIDE SAID STOCK IN A SINUOUS PATH BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE WORKING FACES OF SAID BLADES. 